Discrete element modeling of shock-induced particle jetting

The dispersal of particle shell or ring by divergent impulsive loads takes the form of coherent particle jets with the dimensions several orders larger than that of constituent grain. Particle-scale simulations based on the discrete element method have been carried out to reveal the evolution of jets in semi-two-dimensional rings before they burst out of the external surface. We identify two key events which substantially change the resulted jetting pattern, specifically, the annihilation of incipient jets and the tip-slipping of jets, which become active in different phases of jet evolution. Parametric investigations have been done to assess the correlations between the jetting pattern and a variety of structural parameters. Overpressure, the internal and outer diameters of ring as well as the packing density are found to have effects on the jet evolution with different relative importance.

Experimental studies of shock-induced particle jetting

The dispersion of particle rings or shells by a radially divergent shock front trailed by the pressurized gases takes the form of hierarchical particle jetting. Through a semi-two-dimensional configuration, we characterize the evolution of the jetting pattern using the boundary tracking technique. In contrast to the refined filamentary jetting spread induced by the dispersal of soft and ductile flour particles, the hard and brittle quartz sand particles are dispersed into a finger-like branched pattern with much fewer jets. The interplay between the primary and secondary jets suffices to reverse the flour jetting pattern, which by contrast is negligible in the quartz sand jetting. The distinct jetting patterns displayed by the flour and quartz sand particles are related with the distinguishable networks of force chains invoked in two particles which dictate the nucleation of jets.

Dual hierarchical particle jetting of a particle ring undergoing radial explosion

We study experimentally the formation of a dual hierarchical jetting pattern in dry dense particle media subjected to the radially divergent shock loadings in a radial Hele-Shaw cell.